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Jason Wilebski

Operation Iraqi Freedom | 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment

He was just about finished with high school and set to enter the Marine Corps. Then, one day, Jason Wilebski was walking down the hall and saw people gathered around a television. A plane had hit the Twin Towers. America had been attacked and he felt a new urgency to get to those yellow footprints in San Diego. (4:53)
When he found out he was assigned to Twentynine Palms, new Marine Jason Wilebski began to be regaled with horror stories about the place. "It was 130 degrees and they were throwing beer bottles at us," claimed one of his instructors, describing his arrival there. (6:12)
He grew up working on a dairy farm where there was always work to do but Jason Wilebski was now a Marine. The training made that feel like nothing. The pace was relentless as his unit prepared for the invasion of Iraq. (Caution: strong language) (7:23)
When he pushed into Iraq, Jason Wilebski was part of the Marine infantry attached to a tank unit. At first, he could only hear the sound of the building battle as he rode in a sealed up Amtrac. When he dismounted, he saw a couple of Cobras take out some Iraqi tanks. It was a dazzling display of firepower. (Caution: strong language) (8:48)
A huge sandstorm kept the Marines buttoned up in their vehicles for hours. After it cleared, they rolled into the town of Al Kut, where the enemy had an ambush set up. SAW gunner Jason Wilebski and Company made them wish they had not done that. Part 1 of 2. (Caution: strong language) (6:39)
They train you to get out of an ambush by assaulting through it, if you can. That's exactly what Jason Wilebski and his fellow Marines did in the Iraqi town of Al Kut. It helped once thay figured out you had to milk the grenade before you threw it. Part 2 of 2. (Caution: strong language) (5:30)
Shock and Awe was really working. By the time Jason Wilebski rolled into Baghdad, the Marines had broken and smashed a lot of stuff. Soon, the statue of Saddam was toppled and children were giving them flowers. By the time he left Iraq, children were giving him something else. (Caution: strong language) (7:38)
It was like being a rock star. When Jason Wilebski returned from Iraq, it was all fire trucks and bands and celebrations and pretty girls. Twentynine Palms was waiting, though. (3:50)
During his second tour of Iraq, Jason Wilebski was part of a raid platoon. Their mission was to hit locations of IED makers and high value targets. Then came the push into Fallujah, where he and his fellow Marines fought house to house and collected AK's. Part 1 of 2. (Caution: strong language) (5:23)
As Jason Wilebski's squad entered an Iraqi house, one of the Marines was shot. The Corpsman tended to him while the others fought on. The next day, a Marine was killed at the same house and that house was reduced to rubble. Then they were told to withdraw. Was it political? Part 2 of 2. (Caution: strong language) (5:43)